Blackheath to Blue Gum Track 20km loop

[sylvz18]

Just wanted to know if anyone has done this track and can give me more information? This is what I am looking at:

http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-an ... op.html#tn

I'd like to know if this walk can be done in a day? And also, the website states that it may be hard to follow the track. Does anyone know how bad it is? The comments on the site are from over 3 years ago so I don't want to rely on them,

And any other recommendations for 20km day hikes would be appreciated! Thanks

[JD The Bushwalker]

I haven't done the whole track, but I have done the section from Govetts Leap to most of the way to Acacia Flats (didn't go all the way as we were bush-bashing for other motives). The path there isn't too bad there are a few bit that are a little hard to tell where to go but apart from that the path is quite clear. I'll have to let one of the other comment on the rest of it

[jeremy089786]

Hi Sylvz,

Definitely doable in a day, it is a great walk, though I think the Grand Canyon part of it is closed until June? Rodriguez pass is a fun and scenic, but the track is a little harder to follow than most in this area.

Other long day walks could include - Katoomba - Mt Solitary - Wentworth Falls (30km?) and the coast track (25km?) - in the Royal National Park (similarly popular walks).

You could also do some loops around the Cox's river - parking at the Graveyard or Dunphy's rather than walking along Narrowneck - http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-an ... wneck.html

Cheers,

J.

[skibug]

Whether or not you could do this in a day will depend on your fitness and experience. As well as the total distance, you have a very steep descent to the valley floor, and of course, ascent out. You can shorten this hike by not going all the way to Acacia Flat, but exiting when you get to Junction Rock, or by starting at Govett's Leap and exiting the valley via the Perry's Look down track. If you choose the second, you can walk the dirt road for a couple of km, then go down the track to Pulpit Rock, thence along a very scenic cliff-top track back to Govett's.

Be very conscious of your water needs, the valley can be quite warm, I only drink from the small stream 400m (or so) before Acacia flat, and that water should be treated. All the other streams risk unknown chemical contaminants.

Skibug.

[DaveNoble]

I only drink from the small stream 400m (or so) before Acacia flat, and that water should be treated.

Skibug.

Why treat that water? There are no nuclear plants or factories or even houses in the catchment.

Dave

[skibug]

Hey Dave,

My philosophy is that all water in the wild should be treated, (with purifier tablets, boiling, a quality filter or UV), the reason being that one can never be sure what may be 100 metres upstream - a dead animal in the water, human faeces next to the stream, or even someone bathing in the stream. Having trekked in Nepal, and seen the consequences of giardai and similar infections, I have resolved never to take the risk of falling ill from drinking doubtful water. These days, treatment is relatively easy and cheap, so I see no good reason not to. The dire consequences of getting sick far outweigh the small price of taking care.

Skibug.

[roysta]

I would strongly recommend treating water in any of the valleys below the Blue Mountains townships.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DaveNoble]

In most of those valleys - you can usually get good water from small side creeks that have no houses or other development in their catchments.

Dave

[Xplora]

In most of those valleys - you can usually get good water from small side creeks that have no houses or other development in their catchments.

Dave

Your guts, your risk. Some people are less affected by bugs in the water. I am with Skibug particularly in the BMtns but the choice is yours alone. It does not affect me if you get sick unless I am walking with you.

[puredingo]

I must be one of those people, Xplora. I've been drinking water from the bush literally my whole life seeing i grew up in a National Park and have never EVER purified a single drop. Knocking on wood furiously here I haven't had a single issue.

Maybe it's a immunity thing you need to build from an early age?

[Xplora]

I must be one of those people, Xplora. I've been drinking water from the bush literally my whole life seeing i grew up in a National Park and have never EVER purified a single drop. Knocking on wood furiously here I haven't had a single issue.

Maybe it's a immunity thing you need to build from an early age?

I think you are probably right. Immunity or tolerance to these bugs. My partner has been sick before drinking untreated water. I have more tolerance. People who grow up on chlorinated water may be more affected than those on tank water. Most tank water will have giardia if there are possums about and it is no doubt present in native animals who drink and crap in the streams. There are other things in the water which can cause problems and not are all are easily seen. Areas where cattle were grazed could have liver fluke and wild dogs can carry tape worm. E Coli can also be transmitted through humans or other animals. A number of years ago Sydney people were advised to boil their water because of an unusually high contamination of giardia which was sourced to a dead pig in the Cox's river. My point being it is a matter of personal choice and I would not rely on the word of any person to say any water is safe to drink. I am sure a tolerance to some of these bugs can still be developed when older. Maybe it is the dingo in you that helps. Hope it stays that way for you.

[north-north-west]

I was the same - until copping something from the Long Hill creek during the Tamboritha-Ligar circuit. Water levels were pretty low and the stuff looked and smelled OK, but I was crook for a couple of weeks later. Since then I've been a bit more careful with mainland water, although I don't bother filtering in Tasmania (might at Rhona).

Growing up on tank water and drinking a lot from creeks as a child makes a big difference. People who only ever drink treated water will always be more susceptible to tummy bugs and food poisoning.

[puredingo]

I was on tank water until about 13 when town water was put in and they weren't those spiffy, flash plastic tanks getting around these days they were rusted out old steel contraptions with barely a grill on top.

[Channas]

Just wanted to know if anyone has done this track and can give me more information? This is what I am looking at:

http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-an ... op.html#tn

I'd like to know if this walk can be done in a day? And also, the website states that it may be hard to follow the track. Does anyone know how bad it is? The comments on the site are from over 3 years ago so I don't want to rely on them,

And any other recommendations for 20km day hikes would be appreciated! Thanks

It's beautiful walk and definitely doable in a day. Just allocate some time to the scramble out of the gorge if you're not in good fitness. I believe you could done it in 8hrs. I've done very similar track Victoria falls to Blackheath station in 5.5hrs. Track is really well signposted. I don't think there is a chance to get lost once you got a track notes on you.

[lorrainey100]

It's beautiful walk and definitely doable in a day. Just allocate some time to the scramble out of the gorge if you're not in good fitness. I believe you could done it in 8hrs. I've done very similar track Victoria falls to Blackheath station in 5.5hrs. Track is really well signposted. I don't think there is a chance to get lost once you got a track notes on you.

I've walked that track going down Victoria Falls to Blackheath in Feb 2015 on a very hot day and had to keep going into the creek to cool down. I had to use my GPS for some of the track particularly crossing the rivers to find the tracks on the other side. Some of the track was bush which I had to bush bash since it was covered in tall weeds. Channas, did you run that track? You would have been walking an average of 4 km/hour (22.2km/5.5 hours) elevation 1561m (Wildwalks recommends this as a 2 days walk)?

Wildwalks
Gradient - Very steep (4/6)
Quality of track - Rough unclear track (5/6)
Signs - Minimal directional signs (4/6)

If you are a newbie, I do not recommend going at this pace on a very hot summer day unless you want heat exhaustion.

[DaveNoble]

A lot of walkers do the trip as a long daywalk, but if they do this - then they probably also have two or more and do a car shuffle. I have completed the walk many times by a variety of routes and usually do it over two days. One of the highlights is to camp on the way. As for walking in summer - well you do have a lot of swimming spots available - just about all the way. So you can cool off. Also - you can get good, clean drinking water along the way as long as you are selective where you fill up.

I have not walked the track from Victoria Falls to the Pierces Pass turnoff since the fires burnt out that section of the Grose Valley but do know that the track was cleared before it was reopened. So it should not be too bad, and it is a popular route so the passage of feet should keep regrowth down. I would regard the navigation as relatively trivial if you walk downstream, but bits of the track can be hard to pick up where it has been washed away, and you do need to look about a bit to find it. But this is not difficult.

Dave

[Channas]

It's beautiful walk and definitely doable in a day. Just allocate some time to the scramble out of the gorge if you're not in good fitness. I believe you could done it in 8hrs. I've done very similar track Victoria falls to Blackheath station in 5.5hrs. Track is really well signposted. I don't think there is a chance to get lost once you got a track notes on you.

I've walked that track going down Victoria Falls to Blackheath in Feb 2015 on a very hot day and had to keep going into the creek to cool down. I had to use my GPS for some of the track particularly crossing the rivers to find the tracks on the other side. Some of the track was bush which I had to bush bash since it was covered in tall weeds. Channas, did you run that track? You would have been walking an average of 4 km/hour (22.2km/5.5 hours) elevation 1561m (Wildwalks recommends this as a 2 days walk)?

Wildwalks
Gradient - Very steep (4/6)
Quality of track - Rough unclear track (5/6)
Signs - Minimal directional signs (4/6)

If you are a newbie, I do not recommend going at this pace on a very hot summer day unless you want heat exhaustion.

No I didn't run. I had full load (20kg) backpack on me. It was a kind of trial test for Tassmania so I must say I pushed myself to find out what I can handle. So I'd presume whoever with regular fitness would walk this with light day pack and few breaks could do it in 8-10 hours. I had a track notes on me from wildwalks.com which were pretty descriptive and with signpost on every junction I couldn't get lost. From my experience I've done much worse walks in regards the navigation. So from my opinion "rough unclear track" is a quite exaggerated. Most importantly, route leads along the creek the whole time which makes it even easier and safe. No possible dehydration etc. Btw I ran out of water too, drank about 3L water before the steep section.

[Channas]

I must be one of those people, Xplora. I've been drinking water from the bush literally my whole life seeing i grew up in a National Park and have never EVER purified a single drop. Knocking on wood furiously here I haven't had a single issue.

Maybe it's a immunity thing you need to build from an early age?

Exactly puredingo! That's what I say all the time! Permanent water filtering makes you sick since you become less resistant to bacterias. Excessive water purification can seriously compromise your immune system.